Roncherolle performed the feat he had described, without spilling a drop of wine. Saint-Arthur was lost in admiration, but Jéricourt muttered as he tipped back in his chair:
"I have seen clowns on the boulevard do that."
Roncherolle glared at Jéricourt with a half-angry, half-bantering expression, saying: "In truth, monsieur, I was a clown a very long while! And with the permission of the company, I will undertake to make you as flat as this knife blade in a very few moments."
Jéricourt did not know what reply to make. Zizi, who, with the tact which all women possess, divined a quarrel on the point of breaking out, made haste to say to Roncherolle:
"Come, my dear gallant, since you are so obliging and are willing to instruct us in your science, show me again what you have just done, and I will try to copy you; I will be your assistant."
"I shan't try this third way of drinking," said Saint-Arthur, "except in my own room and with unsophisticated water."
"You will do well, my boy, for you would break too many glasses here."
The young actress did what Roncherolle had just shown them, and did it with equal success.
"Bravo! bravo!" cried the host. "Honor to Zizi! You know three ways already, dear love!"
"These ladies succeed in whatever they choose to undertake," said Roncherolle.
Jéricourt, with a curl of his lip, muttered:
"Oh! you always look as if you were sneering!" said Zizi; "but you would be hard put to it to do as much. It's easy to criticise, my dear man!"
"This much is certain, that I shall not venture to contend with you."
"But I am waiting till you come to the thirty-third way. I fancy that you will do some very extraordinary things then!"
"Oh! my boy, we're not such fools. We mean to have some fun, to get a little screwed, but we don't propose to get drunk. We will learn one more way and that will do for to-night; what do you say, my gallant?"
"Why, do you know that you're a hard-headed party? Champagne doesn't seem to affect you at all. You drink more than we do, and you don't seem to notice it."
"That is the result of my long studies--another advantage of age!"
"Look at Alfred; he hasn't drunk half as much as you, I'll bet, and his eyes are in curl-papers already; anyone would think he was going to sleep."